


Lonely blues

by iamhorribleatnames



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Noir, Angst, Bisexual Revali, M/M, Mystery, POV First Person, Rebili, Slow Build, Slow To Update, get it? hahah, sorry sometimes I think I'm funny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:39:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27261361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamhorribleatnames/pseuds/iamhorribleatnames
Summary: She knocks on my door like a reaper at an old man’s home. With defeat shining in her eyes and a tentativeness to her voice.“Mr. Gaile, private detective?”
Relationships: Link/Revali (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	1. A sense of foreboding

It’s ten minutes to closing time on a Thursday night. The floor is deadly silent. No last-minute calls for a case, no phone calls asking for information, no hushed conversations, nothing.

Work has been slow these past few weeks and it would seem all the criminals in Rito Village have gone back to the hellholes they came from, but we all know better. Tonight, the rain comes down hard, flooding roads and roofs, letting all the blood and dirt go down the drains. Before the air dries, the city will be stained again.

I entertain myself completing the crossword from today’s newspaper. The sounds of the city come through the thin windows, and the lights of a car passing by cover my office in angry orange stripes. I should close the blinds better.

_Liable to cause harm (9)_

Harmful, maybe? One, two, three, four-no, too short…

I distantly hear the rhythmical click of heels against the wooden floor. As I tap my pen against my lips in thought, I wait for them to fade away to another corridor- it’s probably Teba’s wife, she often comes to drag him out of work by his tie when he forgets a special date.

The heels don’t hesitate in their stride though, and they keep getting closer. My office is the only one open in this dark corridor. I quickly put the newspaper away and take my feet off the table. I can’t let a potential client seeing me so unprofessional. I adjust my loosened shirt into my waist and pick up the first folder I see. The heels are almost at my door. I lean back on my chair with my usual air of nonchalance, my head turned to show my profile while I pretend to read the contents of the folder.

She knocks on my door like a reaper at an old man’s home. With defeat shining in her eyes and a tentativeness to her voice.

“Mr. Gaile, private detective?”

Only the young or naïve bother asking what they already know. From her looks, I guess she is both. I will have to remind the old receptionist that I only take the twisted, crooked cases. I didn’t earn my job to waste my potential on stolen dolls or missing kittens. Still, I’m not sure I can afford turning her down, if her coat is anything to go by, she’ll pay good.

I can’t wipe the sneer from my face as I nod towards my name painted in bold black letters over the glass of the door and motion for her to sit. My wordless answer makes her brows crease and her chin raise in defiance. She walks in with all the arrogance of a queen in her courtroom, apparently all shyness forgotten. The scrape of a chair against the floor makes me grit my teeth. She does not close the door.

A slow anger boils inside me. I don’t need to know anything else about her or about whatever her case might be. She is a careless girl; she thinks herself deserving of whatever status she appears to have. She is exactly the kind of spoiled I detest.

I will not take her case.

While I reach for my pack of cigarettes from the third drawer, I taste the scathing words in my tongue, designed to make her get up again and close the door with a slam on her way out, when I hear the familiar creak and click.

My eyes focus on the figure near the entrance. Another kid. In the back of my mind I berate myself for not hearing him at all, yet I find it hard to linger on that when he is holding my stare with such composure. He vaguely reminds me of the Greek sculptures I saw one day in a documentary, all his features seem carved by deft fingers. I never thought this kind of beauty existed outside of cinema screens. I tell myself not to linger on such things.

He moves like a deadly shadow behind her, making no noise at all. They are in my office, in what, if I were a happier man, I would call my humble abode if only for the number of hours I spend here. And yet, I feel like the cornered prey. I get the distinct feeling that they didn’t come to see me. I came to work today to see _them_.

“Mr. Gaile.” The girl’s voice takes me away from my reverie. The boy finally sits and the spell he put me in leaves me hot under my collar. “We come from Hyrule City, we have a case that might be interesting to you.”

First impressions have always served me well in my line of work, a detective’s gut is an asset like any other. I do not change my mind easily, yet my curiosity is picked.

They paint a strange picture sitting in my office, offering me a job without any information. Two kids playing at being adults. They may be young but something about them speaks of trouble; the kind to leave you facing 20 mobsters by yourself under a bridge in a winter’s night, with the frozen tides of the river behind you.

Against my gut, a stronger force seems to tempt me into accepting whatever she’s asking of me. Maybe the receptionist didn’t assign the wrong file this time. Something tells me I should take the case, but I don’t walk into anything blindly.

“Why come all the way from Hyrule City for a private detective? It’s a big city, plenty of detectives to pick from, and you travelled to Rito Village to see me? You strike me as people with better things to do with your time.” She smiles slowly, her expression much too satisfied, almost-

“I was told you were the best.”

Almost dangerous.


	2. Lady Luck knocked on my door tonight

“I was told you were the best.”

Finally. After working hours on end at this dead-end place, at last I have gained enough fame so that people from outside Rito Village come to ask for my help. It is difficult to keep the smug smile out of my face. They say Lady Luck’s favour is often bought, and if my payment is to be hard work then so be it.

“Why don’t you tell me everything from the beginning, hm?”

“Of course. I did not have the chance to introduce myself earlier, my name is Zelda, and I am daughter of Roham Hylia, from Hylia’s Hotels. I speak as current representative of Hylia’s Hotels, while my father maintains the business in the capital. This young man here is my bodyguard, Link.”

I steel my eyes away from wandering to the man beside her again, afraid that if I were to look once more, I would not be able to stop staring.

I have heard distantly of Hylia’s Hotels, from what I gather, it is a chain business that offers refined commodities for the ones with full enough wallets to pay for it as well as perfect privacy. Heaven itself for wealthy, corrupted men. Then again, it’s not like it’s too different anywhere else.

“As I am sure you know, the fame of Hylia’s Hotels has only increased in the last years, and- I state this as a mere fact- we have accumulated a lot of riches. Recently, no less than ten ingots worth their weight in gold, have been stolen from our private vault.”

Just as my mostly empty fridge shelves might have implied, I am not comfortable enough with golden ingots to know exactly how much money she is talking about. I figure it won’t matter much, as not many people keep their currency in ingots, at least it will make the search a tad easier.

“I require your unique skills to aid us in this operation, for it is a case like no other. I have contacted other detectives, as I fear one person will not be enough to cover all of Hyrule and time is running against us. It is likely the culprits no longer remain in Hyrule City, therefore a large enough team will ensure us the best results.”

As much as I dislike admitting it, she’s right. I have enough experience under my belt to refrain from presenting myself as the only detective she needs- even though I surely am- time will prove me right. My findings will be pivotal in solving the robbery, and a case like this will without a doubt appear on the papers. This is my perfect chance to gain the recognition I deserve.

“We might be able to give you some head start, as Mr. Dragmire is our main suspect. He has tried many times before to taint the prestige of our business. I would not put it past him to break into our private vaults to harm our image to the public and cause a commotion. We all know what a shameless man he is.”

Ah yes, Ganondorf Dragmire, a press favourite for his charming demeanour to the public and a ruthless businessman to the rest of the world. From what I know, he has gained his position climbing the social ladder, his riches seemingly earned through hard work. I vaguely think him an honest man, yet he is not the one knocking at my door offering me a job.

“I know you are one of the best detectives in the field, and what I’m about to say next will be simple trivialities. But we ask for the most discretion from you. Luckily, the incident has not leaked to the press yet, and we intend to keep it that way for as long as we can.

To keep you detectives as safe as the job permits and to work as efficiently as possible, you will all report to one common contact. If all these conditions are agreeable to you, I offer you a thousand rupees in advance and five thousand if I am able to get back what was taken from me fully.”

Goddess. That’s six thousand rupees in total. It almost doubles my pay for the whole year. I don’t see why they shouldn’t be my six thousand rupees.

“The conditions are fine by me. Who will be this common contact?”

“Perfect.” Her palms clap together, and her eyes shine with delight “The contact will be Link, here. He will be the head of the operation. You are to report to him and work under his expert command.”

_What._

I lock my eyes on the _boy_ sitting on the other chair. He has a hard look on his eyes, but the baby fat on his cheeks betray him. There’s no way he has even half of the experience as I have in the field. _Expert command?_ He just stopped wearing diapers and now he’s _head of the operation_? I have met my fair share of insolent clients, yet these ones take the first prize.

I lean back on my chair and an incredulous chuckle leaves my lungs at the thought of what my career has become. Years of working for a place in the Rito Private Detective’s Agency only to be offered to work for someone so obviously beneath me. Lady Luck’s favour is bought alright.

“Excuse me? I don’t think I heard you right. Are you telling me that this pathetic bodyguard is going to have any kind of say in this case?” My false dulcet tone only serves to make my blood boil harder. I can’t stop myself from standing up. Do these kids think I’m stupid? “How dare you come into my office asking me for my _oh so valued skills_ , without telling me that this was a farce all along? What kind of sick joke is this? If you kids wanted to laugh at someone, you picked the wrong man.”

My feet carry me away from my seat at the table, putting much needed distance between us. I am not a violent man, yet I feel anger clouding my thoughts. Teba had encouraged pacing to water down the venom in my words, right now I feel there is no highway long enough to douse the rage burning at my fingertips.

“Please Mr. Gaile, firstly I would appreciate if you stopped referring to us as kids, we are well over the age limit.” My snort doesn’t stop her. “And secondly, do not doubt the seriousness of this operation. Link is the best professional we have-”

“Oh, _please_.”

“-at our disposal. He has proved himself many times, and as the main concerned party, he is the only one I trust to do the job.” And what about me? Haven’t I proved myself enough? “He is not only a bodyguard, but he was also a great policeman before. He knows what he is doing, I assure you.”

“Oh, _was_ a great policeman. So, you left because you preferred the wonders of working as a bodyguard, hm? Did the policeman work prove too difficult for your little brain?” I continue approaching him as if I can’t hear Zelda’s complaints about talking to her employee in this manner “Or were you kicked out because you got your men killed?”

The room has gone eerily silent. I am standing tall beside his chair, daring him to prove me wrong. He holds my gaze, and he sits there as he has been this whole time, unperturbed.

“ _His Highness_ does not deign to answer me, eh? Why am I not surprised. Has no one told you it’s rude not to answer people?”

“He…” Zelda shares a look with him, and after his curt nod, she continues “He suffered an… accident long ago. He cannot speak.”

I know what kind of _accidents_ she is referring to. Nowadays, the streets are filled with people who have lost a leg, or both, people without arms, hands, eyes… Screams of men haunted by the ghosts of war pierce the Hyrule night. _Accident_ doesn’t feel like a word large enough for it.

I feel the fight leave my voice against my will.

“You don’t look old enough to have taken part in the last war.”

“Well… he… technically wasn’t of age back then, yet soldiers were needed, and he was extremely capable even as a young boy.”

The topic takes me back to a tiny wooden house, to slamming doors and broken family ties. To feelings of impotence and shame. I still remember, even if my eyesight was distorted by the angry tears I was trying to keep in, the image of my grandfather blocking the door, explaining the soldiers that I was a very sickly child.

I would have been proud to fight for my country at 14 years of age, I had good aim with a pistol. Yet, my grandfather stood between war and myself. He thought me weak enough that he was afraid I would die.

I had resented him for the rest of his life.

This miserable bodyguard had gained the respect in battlefield that should have been mine as well. Now, it is my turn to turn the tables.

“Well, my one comfort is that you’ll have a chance to prove what a failure you are. And I’ll be there to see it.”

In the beat of silence that comes next, he locks his stare with mine. His face blank as a newly bought canvas, not a trace of any kind of emotion in those features. The lack of response bothers me more than I am willing to admit.

“So… does that mean you accept the deal, Mr. Gaile?”

The sound of her voice grounds me again in the real world, yet I do not break the silent battle I started in an attempt at intimidating him.

“I do.”

“That is… good, yes. You will receive the payment and your part of the investigation as soon as possible. It was a pleasure. Have a good night.” At least she managed to sound composed enough to mistake her retreat for a swift departure.

I hear her get up from the chair and leave, letting the door open for her little dog to follow. When her heels are not close enough to hear, he stands up, our bodies too close for comfort. I do not move an inch. He reaches into one of his inner breast pockets and takes out a perfectly folded piece of paper. He presses it against my chest with restrained strength and as he removes his hand, the paper floats silently to my shoes.

In the moment it takes me to look down at it, he is gone from the room.

***

After locking my office, I walk towards the entrance of the building. Only the faintest light glows dimly. This city thrives in darkness, and the lampposts are as abundant on the streets as the honest men that live here.

I sigh with too much tiredness. My bones seem to weigh more than they did this morning, and I feel my 24 years as headstones strapped to my back. The anger that consumed me before, like fire burning up a match, has now left only ashes inside me. It seems no matter how hard I try I will eternally be under someone else’s orders. No matter how good my investigations, no matter how many hours I spend bent over files. I always knew this was a cold and unfair world, but I am really such a fool for dreaming?

“Hey Revali, I thought you had gone home hours ago. You had clients?”

Teba’s warm concern takes me out of my maudlin thoughts. The man has his coat on already, an umbrella on his hand and the look of a worried father in his face.

“Yeah, they don’t think we have anything better to do than wait for them to appear at our door ten minutes before closing.”

Teba chuckles in understanding, his eyes losing their characteristic hardness. It is always a wonder to see him step in and out of his unrelenting personality at work and his mild, calm demeanour at home. I am not lucky enough to be able to leave work at my doorstep.

“Don’t strain yourself, kid. A few more years keeping up this rhythm and you’ll end up with as many white hairs as this old man.” A deep chuckle escapes from his lungs, and his comment makes me run a hand through my strands. Teba is in no way an old man, even if his completely snow-white hair implies differently, yet I have grown bored of correcting him every time. People either age quickly in my line of work or they get themselves killed young. I myself already have a few patches of white, but if it’s from stress or malnutrition back when I was a child, I’ll never know.

The momentum of the conversation dies slowly, and we enjoy a beat of silence in the usually busy workplace.

“By the way, Saki made enough dinner for all of Hyrule, why don’t you come by?”

It’s not the first time he has tried to make a spot for me at his table, and it wouldn’t be first time I accepted. However, we’re colleagues, not family, and gossip runs like a vicious river in the office. I will not have anyone think that my accomplishments are because I’m the teacher’s pet.

As much as I loathe small talk, I find it to be useful to avoid unwanted conversation topics. The best men I know answer hard questions with easier ones.

“How’s Tulin?”

“He’s good, you know he’s a good kid. He’d love to see you.”

I should have figured Teba wouldn’t let me get away with it so easily.

A quiet smile finds its way to my lips. I have never been too fond of kids, even if I’m surprisingly good with them, but I admit to having a soft spot for Tulin. That the kid sees me as some sort of legend also helps.

Still, I restrict myself to visiting only once every four months, and I had visited last October, for Saki’s birthday.

“Hm, I’m afraid I’ll have to grace you with my presence some other day, today I’m just too busy.”

We both know there’s nothing but cold leftovers and the radio waiting for me at home. I make my way towards the exit and I don’t look back to Teba rolling his eyes in amusement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is possible I am getting a little bit carried away with this fic hahha  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!!   
> If there are any errors please let me know, I'll be glad to correct them :)


	3. Untangling familiar knots

_Dragmire Hotel, keep night watch._

Teba had always warned me not to let my acidic tongue get the best of me, but he hadn’t warned me against pretentious fools like this one.

I had cursed the blond’s name for a week under the biting cold and incessant rain. I could perfectly imagine him in his own house, warm and comfortable, while my patience dripped onto the streets and went down the sewers.

The promise of money was a bright beam of light in my mind, and the only thing keeping me sane. After 7 nights of staying close enough, yet not too close, to the hotel chain in Rito Village, I still had my hands empty.

Mr. Dragmire’s henchmen busied their miserable lives with the kind of baseless behaviour every man was a slave to every now and then, when the nights were dark enough that they forgot how the sunshine felt.

I would have gladly put them all in jail, however if I had, I fear I would leave the streets empty by sunrise.

The cab stops a few blocks away from the address the bodyguard gave me- I am not foolish enough to allow him to take me right to his door. I am already attracting enough attention. A dark-skinned man wearing braids is not very common in Hyrule City, so I borrow deeper into my trench coat as I pull my hat and scarf to cast studied shadows on my face.

I dearly hope to leave the city with more information on this damn case. If the blond man was not infuriating enough, the lack of directives I have is close to be the last straw. My job has become my life since an early age, and I dislike being kept in the dark.

I walk briskly to the entrance and knock twice.

The door opens quicker than I expected and a small lady steps out timidly. Her hair shines brighter than fire against the oak, and honey envies the colour of her eyes.

“Oh, excuse me.” Her voice reminds me of clear water running fresh and rapid on rocky riverbanks.

I shake myself of the stupor and clear my throat as I move aside. Goddess. I dearly hope my face isn’t turning as red as I fear it is.

Link coughs discreetly and invites me inside, a private smile dancing on the corners of his lips.

***

He walks around the place like a man with a perpetual jazz band playing beside him, his moves deliberate and elegant in a natural way that I have never mastered.

He invites me to sit on a badly lit room, with the air still heavy from cigarette smoke. The whole place looks like it could use with a good cleaning. I would have pegged him for “the not a hair out of place” kind of guy, but you really get to know a man when you learn how he lives.

I know I shouldn´t ask, because really, it is not my business. However, I have never stood my ground for too long when I’m dancing with the dangerous mistress that is curiosity.

“That your girlfriend?”

He shakes his head with a slight smile, and I smile too, as I ready my stick to prod him with.

“I didn’t take you to be the kind of man to invite those kinds of women to your private rooms.”

That charming smile of his disappears on an instant and he shakes his head sharply, the steel mask back on his face- just like that day at my office. I expected to feel more delight at being successful in insulting him, but things don’t ever work as I want them to.

I swallow past my annoyance and I decide to start the conversation seeing as he won’t be bothered.

“I’ve got nothing. My time was wasted there, a bunch of kids stealing candy wrappers would have made more noise than those imbeciles.”

He nods quietly and stares through the window in deep thought.

He is wearing a pale blue shirt, greyed from use, the colour of broken hopes and lonely nights.

I feel the breath catch on my throat at the sight of the sun painting his profile, so I turn my head sharply to focus on the dirty ashtray instead. I could use a smoke.

After a while, he comes back to the table, scrawling on a yellow lined notebook. He rips the page and hands it to me.

_“Thank you for your work, Mr. Gaile._

_You should stay here in Hylia’s Hotel, as I will probably need more of your services, the cost of your stay will be covered by us._

_Goodbye, L.”_

That’s it?

I look up to find him gone, he is standing now beside the door, ushering me out.

“I don’t understand.” I shake the paper in bewilderment.

He comes closer behind me, so close that I can smell his aftershave and it surely is the work of my intoxicated brain when I hear a broken mutter whispering something about learning how to read.

He steps back and I regain my senses to find another address after the text, presumably Hylia’s Hotel. He infuriates me. The way he just waves me away, with less respect one would have with a pesterous fly. He thinks himself above me.

Obviously, he doesn’t deem me worthy enough to be more informed on the case.

Never had I ever imagined another man could insult me so without wasting a breath.

I get up in a whirl and step close to his face using my greater height to my advantage.

“You will find I am not a reasonable man if you choose to toy with me. Do not make a career out of underestimating me.”

He looks into my eyes, not a trace of fear on the eyes he must have stolen from the sky. He lays a warm hand on my left shoulder and then he nods, with so much conviction I am almost inclined to believe him. He doesn’t say a word, but the message is clear: _Trust me_.

What a load of bullshit.

I know about people like him, who think that they can trick you with their looks. Many of them have been successful as of late, drowning respectable men down the depths of a black sea not unlike mermaids did in child stories. But not me. I am made of something stronger.

He must have seen the lack of conviction on my face, as he takes the paper he has just given me from my hands, in a way that our fingers brush. There’s not much I can do about the shiver that travels down my spine.

He scribbles a few more words down there.

“ _I’ll contact you_.”

Is that supposed to be enough? I click my tongue in annoyance, and my pride won’t let me stay here no longer.

I have never worked with another group of detectives -always preferring to work by myself -but I doubt it is a normal practice to keep your supposed colleagues in the dark like this. My mind begins trying to find connections, suggesting me a path to follow, although I’m not sure I’ll like where it leads.

***

The hotel is a pretty thing if you like the way cells are staked on the corridors of a prison. Sadly, the silken drapes and plants can do little to hide the dust and secrets hiding on the walls, but to be fair, the receptionist makes a better effort.

She felt the need to give me the room with views to the kitchen pipes, so the smoke and grease could drip easier from the corners of my room. It is also the farthest away from the exit, so I would have to pass several doors and staff before stepping a foot out.

“So that you won’t be bothered” The face she made at me was probably meant for a smile.

I was put on edge right then. I doubted Mr. Hylia even knew about my existence, so then, why would Zelda want to keep an eye on me? I had not seen even a peek of her hair yet. I had been told it was good manners to check on your guests at your own hotel rooms.

So now, calming the stress of the day with a smoke in my rooms, I wonder if it could be work of the bodyguard. That Link… He probably hadn’t told her I was staying here. Could he be such a forgetful person? There’s something there that won’t sit right with me.

I pull out the piece of paper he had given me earlier on the day.

… _the cost of your stay will be covered by us_. I take a long drag of my cigarette.

_Us_ , not _Zelda_. He worked for her, so it was obvious who was the one with the money, and _she_ was the one who had wanted to start this investigation. There was no chance that they could be together and share an account. Mr. Hylia would never let his daughter marry someone so deprived of his status.

The clouds are clearing before my eyes. The animosity present in all my interactions with the bodyguard, his reluctance to be clear in the case… I am a bother on his well thought out plan.

Yes… it could make a certain sense… a damaged war veteran at his age, lost his former job as a policeman... I have seen many backstories like his before. He had probably seen and done too many things, stealing some gold would be very low on his list of sins.

It would explain the annoying habit he has of not sharing with me details of the case I am supposed to work on. Had he been lying then as well to the other detectives? Do those detectives even exist? There are too many questions, but to answer those simply: well, I wouldn’t put it past him.

But why would he do it?

When I visited his place, I hadn’t gotten the impression that he couldn’t pay for his needs. Although nowadays many debts are paid because of snow dust and frenetic nights. I don’t remember the strong smell of marijuana, and he couldn’t have hidden that only with tobacco smoke. Cocaine then? Most likely. That market had only been growing as of late.

It was going to be a huge blow for the young lady, with the way she had defended him when I first met them. Poor kid, she seemed to wholeheartedly trust the bodyguard.

I would need Zelda’s help in this, and it is always better to share bad news like ripping a band aid.

Well, no matter how many hearts get broken, I am here to do my job.

I crush what’s left of my smoke with severity and right my wrinkled clothes, I need to find Zelda.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope I do justice to the genre and the characters hahah, as always, feedback is appreciated!  
> Thanks for reading! :)


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